Google provides early peek at next Android operating system

SAN FRANCISCO — Google is previewing the next version of its Android operating system two months ahead of schedule in an effort to get the upgraded software on more mobile devices. The head start is designed to get Android N the hands of mobile device makers earlier than ever, according to a Google blog post, to give them more time to set up the new software on their latest models. The strategy has established Android as the world’s most widely used mobile operating system, but it also has limited the amount of control that Google has over how the software is used. Among other things, about 56 percent of Android devices are still running on versions of the software that were released in 2013 and 2014, according to Google’s tabulations.